Top advisors focused on trust structures (grat, idgt, revocable) in Connecticut

Kristin Manna is a financial advisor with Primerica Advisors and holds a Series 66 designation. She has one year of industry experience, including roles at Park Avenue Securities, Guardian Life Insurance Company, and Consolidated Planning Holdings, Inc. Prior to entering the financial industry, she worked in education for eight years. Outside of advising, Kristin is an author and publisher of a basketball coaching notebook and works as a math tutor for high school students. Park Avenue Securities serves a broad retail client base with a range of brokerage and advisory services, utilizing proprietary and third-party investment strategies across various account types and investment vehicles.

Solomon Dayan is a financial advisor at J.P. Morgan Securities with 14 years of industry experience. He holds Series 63 and Series 66 designations and has been with J.P. Morgan Securities since 2012, also working with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. since 2011. J.P. Morgan Securities provides institutional consulting services to corporations, foundations, and defined contribution plan sponsors, offering asset allocation advice, investment manager and fund searches, and customized performance reporting through a select group of Wealth Advisors. The firm combines large institutional advisory operations with brokerage, distribution, and investment management capabilities.

Edward Blatz is a Senior Resident Director and Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He specializes in working with high net-worth families and closely-held businesses, focusing on estate and wealth management strategies. Edward partners closely with clients’ tax advisors and estate planning attorneys to provide a comprehensive approach to managing both financial and personal aspects of their lives. His services include performance assessment, personalized guidance, and periodic reviews to help clients progress toward their individual financial goals. Edward joined Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 1985 and has over 40 years of experience developing tailored financial solutions that consider clients’ risk tolerance, time horizon, liquidity needs, and investment objectives. His areas of expertise encompass college education planning, divorce transition planning, employee benefits, executive compensation, family wealth management, managing new wealth, investment strategies, and retirement income. Edward holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Adelphi University and has earned several professional designations, including CERTIFIED PLAN FIDUCIARY ADVISOR (CPFA), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), Personal Investment Advisor (PIA), and Retirement Accredited Financial Advisor (RAFA). Edward is also a member of The Blatz-Rooney Group, which was named to the 2024 Forbes "Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams" list. Outside of his professional work, he has personal interests in golfing, reading, and tennis.

Richard Kos is a CFA® charterholder and registered investment adviser with five years of industry experience. He is the president of Kos Consultants, an educational institutional consulting and marketing services firm unrelated to securities, which he has operated since 2007. Kos serves as the sole advisor at Sursum Financial LLC, based in Madison, CT. Sursum Financial is a single-advisor independent firm providing discretionary and non-discretionary asset management, financial planning, and consulting to individuals, high-net-worth clients, trusts, estates, business owners, family offices, and select institutional and charitable organizations. The firm combines proprietary and third-party research, typically favoring a longer-term buy-and-hold approach while allowing tactical adjustments, and offers performance-based fee arrangements to qualified clients.

Elaine Biersack is a financial advisor with Round Rock Advisors LLC, holding a Series 65 designation and five years of industry experience. She previously worked for Greenwich Investment Management, Inc. for ten years before joining Round Rock Advisors in 2023. Round Rock Advisors serves individuals, high-net-worth clients, retirement plans, trusts, and institutional investors with investment management, financial planning, and retirement-plan advisory services. The firm employs multiple internal teams using fundamental, long-term analysis and offers access to independent sub-advisors and specialized investment strategies, including management of an Australian-registered micro-cap fund.

Justin Kohler is a CFP® with 12 years of industry experience, currently serving as a financial advisor at The Fiduciary Group. His prior roles include positions at Sharp Wealth Advisory, Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, Sharp Financial Services, and AXA Advisors. Outside of his advisory work, he assists with the operations of a marketing and media company owned by his wife. The Fiduciary Group serves high-net-worth individuals and families, providing discretionary investment management for trusts, estates, nonprofits, and retirement plans. The firm employs a structured investment approach with multiple strategy profiles and integrates with the Focus Financial Partners platform to offer clients access to a broad range of financial solutions.

Matthew Benefiel is a Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. Since joining in 2017, he has worked with families, individuals, and businesses to develop customized wealth management strategies. His areas of expertise include portfolio design, manager selection, investment due diligence, and performance evaluation. Matthew employs a disciplined process to build tailored portfolios and regularly evaluates investments to meet clients' evolving needs and changing market conditions. He also utilizes Merrill Personal Wealth Analysis® to create personalized financial plans that help clients set clear objectives and monitor their progress. Matthew holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Actuarial Science from Biola University and holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification as well as the Personal Investment Advisor (PIA) designation. His client focus areas include family wealth management strategies, services for defined benefit plans, and sports and entertainment sectors. Outside of his professional role, Matthew lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife, Heather, and their daughter, Ruby. He enjoys activities such as golf, baseball, basketball, rock climbing, and yoga. Additionally, he spends time doing CrossFit and coaching basketball.

Clark Gay is a CFP® professional with 24 years of industry experience. He is currently with Visionary Wealth Advisors, LLC and has previously worked at Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. and Tmfs Advisors, Llc. Visionary Wealth Advisors serves individuals, trusts, estates, retirement plans, and business entities through a multi-advisor team structure managing several billion dollars for a few thousand clients. The firm offers financial planning, consulting, and investment management using a blend of fundamental, technical, and cyclical analysis within an asset-allocation framework based on Modern Portfolio Theory.

Christian Habitz is a financial advisor at The Invictus Collective, LLC with 24 years of industry experience. He holds a Series 66 designation and has worked at firms including JP Morgan Chase Bank NA and JPMorgan Securities LLC. Outside of his advisory role, he serves as manager and investor in entities involved with synthetic graphite manufacturing and coordinates related tax administration. The Invictus Collective serves high-net-worth individuals, trusts, estates, corporations, and institutional investors, providing financial planning, consulting, and wealth management through both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management. The firm employs a diversified investment approach grounded in modern portfolio theory, utilizing independent managers, ETFs, mutual funds, private investments, structured notes, and options, with particular expertise in structured notes and manager due diligence supported by third-party analytics and an internal Investment Committee.

Ryan Boland is the Vice President Private Wealth Management Advisor at Fidelity Investments, a role he has held since 2021. In this capacity, he works as part of a team to assist individuals and families in pursuing their financial goals through thoughtful and customized planning strategies. His approach involves building deep and enduring relationships with clients to understand their priorities and utilize the resources and specialists available at Fidelity Investments. Prior to his current position, Ryan held various roles within Fidelity Charitable, including Vice President of National Corporate & Executive Giving from 2019 to 2021, Vice President and Charitable Planning Consultant from 2017 to 2019, and Director and Vice President of the Complex Assets Group from 2011 to 2017. Before joining Fidelity, he practiced as an attorney specializing in Trust & Estates and Real Estate at Taylor, Ganson & Perrin, LLP from 2001 to 2011. Outside of his professional work, Ryan has interests in art, golf, painting, and tennis.